
Coalition of Napa Valley businesses drops lawsuit against Gov. Newsom
The inside of Tra Vigne, one of the restaurants that was spearheading the lawsuit filed against Governor Newsom by the Wine Country Coalition for Safe Reopening. The group announced Thursday it was dropping the lawsuit in the wake of the state’s having lifted the comprehensive shelter-in-place order put in place in December.
The group of more than 50 Napa and Sonoma County businesses that filed a lawsuit against Governor Gavin Newsom Jan. 19 has voluntarily dropped the suit, it said in a press release.
The suit was no longer necessary after Newsom lifted strict orders Monday that had prevented local restaurants from being able to serve food outside as well as indoors and had shut down outdoor wine tasting as well.
In lieu of that development, the coalition “decided to dismiss its lawsuit, but left open the possibility of filing the suit again if needed,” it announced in the press release Thursday.
“We were gratified that the Governor ended this needless ban on outdoor dining and wine tasting, but we will be ready to refile our lawsuit if the ban is imposed again,” Carl Dene, owner of Sam’s General Store in Calistoga, said in the press release.
Calling itself the Wine Country Coalition for Safe Reopening, the group sued Gov. Newsom and State Public Health Officer Tomás Aragón in the hopes of lifting the ban on outdoor dining in Napa County, the larger Bay Area and throughout the state of California, its original filing said.
The coalition voiced its frustration with the shutdown implemented in the Bay Area in mid-December, after regional ICU capacity dipped below 15%. There was no data to suggest outdoor dining was contributing to regional surges, the group argued.
“We want to send a message that we’re not going to sit here and not have a voice anymore,” Dene said in an interview Jan. 19. The absence of outdoor dining and wine tasting had been devastating for businesses in the wine and hospitality sectors, he explained, noting business at his own store and café had been down something like 80% over the last few weeks.
On Monday, Gov. Newsom announced during a press conference that he would lift that more stringent shutdown order enacted in four of the state’s five regions, including the Bay Area Region. In light of forecasts from state public health officials showing a clear path to increased ICU capacity, he said, counties could revert to the state’s previously-implemented tier system. Both Napa and Sonoma counties’ respective case count places them squarely within the purple tier, which does permit outdoor dining and wine tastings.
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14 PLACES TO GRAB PIZZA IN NAPA COUNTY
Pizzeria Tra Vigne
Pizzeria Tra Vigne
1016 Main St, St Helena
Pictured: The Queen’s Pizza at Tra Vigne Pizzeria.
Ca’ Momi Osteria
Ca’ Momi Osteria
1141 First St., Napa
Foodshed Take Away
Foodshed Take Away
3385 Old California Way, Napa
Filippi’s Pizza Grotto, Napa
Filippi’s Pizza Grotto
645 First St., Napa
Pictured: Matthew Finch takes a pizza to a customer at Filippi’s Pizza Grotto in downtown Napa.
That Pizza Place
That Pizza Place
1149 Main St., St. Helena
Papa Joe’s Pizza
Papa Joe’s Pizza
1121 Lincoln Ave., Napa
Pictured: A pizza pie in production at Papa Joe’s Pizza in Napa.
La Prima Pizza
La Prima
*1923 Lake St., Calistoga
707-942-8070
*1010 Adams St., St. Helena
707-942-8070
The Forge
The Forge
155 Gasser Drive, Suite B, Napa
Azzurro Pizzeria e Enoteca, Napa
Azzurro Pizzeria e Enoteca
1260 Main St., Napa
Pictured: Lamb Sausage, Fennel Confit & Smoked Provolone Pizza
Velo Pizzeria
Velo Deli & Pizzeria
6498 Washington St., Yountville
Editor’s Note: Velo Pizzeria’s Napa location closed in 2020.
Il Posto Trattoria
Il Posto Trattoria
4211 Solano Ave., Napa
Pictured: Salami & Burrata Pizza
Oenotri
Oenotri
1425 1st St, Napa
Pictured: Pizza Escarole
Fazerrati’s Pizza
Fazerrati’s Pizza
(Riverpark Shopping Center)
1517 W Imola Ave., Napa
Mary’s Pizza Shack
Mary’s Pizza Shack
3085 Jefferson St., Napa
Pictured: Potato Skin Pizza
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